Fire-retardant resin composition

Abstract

A fire-retardant resin composition comprising (A) an aromatic copolyester derived from (1) a mixture of terephthalic acid and isophthalic acid or the functional derivatives thereof and (2) a bisphenol or the functional derivatives thereof, (B) a polyamide, (C) a polyalkylene phenylene ester or a polyalkylene phenylene ester ether and (D) an aromatic halogen compound. The resin composition has superior moldability, and molded articles prepared from the resin composition have superior chemical properties, thermal stability, mechanical properties and fire retardancy. The resin composition may additionally contain (E) a fire-retardant assistant.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A fire-retardant resin composition comprising (A) 1 to 98.9% by weight of an aromatic copolyester comprising the reaction product in about equimolar amounts of (1) a mixture of terephthalic acid and isophthalic acid or the functional derivatives thereof with the terephthalic acid unit to the isophthalic acid unit molar ratio being about 9:1 to about 1:9 and   (2) a bisphenol of the general formula [I] ##STR13## wherein --X-- represents a member selected from the group consisting of --O--, --S--, --SO 2  --, --SO--, --CO--, an alkylene group containing 1 to 5 carbon atoms and an alkylidene group containing 1 to 5 carbon atoms, and R 1 , R 2 , R 3 , R 4 , R 1  ', R 2  ', R 3  ' and R 4  ', which may be the same or different, each is selected from the group consisting of a hydrogen atom, a chlorine atom, a bromine atom and an alkyl group containing 1 to 5 carbon atoms, or a derivative thereof.     (B) 1 to 98.9% by weight of a polyamide containing therein a repeating unit of the following general formula [II]: ##STR14## wherein R 5 , R 6  and R 7 , which may be the same or different, each represents an alkylene group containing 4 to 11 carbon atoms and n is an integer of from 30 to 500, and   (C) 0.1 to 98% by weight of a polyalkylene phenylene ester or a polyalkylene phenylene ester ether containing therein a repeating unit of the following general formula [IV]; ##STR15## wherein R 8 , R 9 , R 10  and R 11 , which may be the same or different, each is selected from the group consisting of a hydrogen atom, a chlorine atom, a bromine atom and an alkyl group containing 1 to 5 carbon atoms, m is an integer from 1 to 10 and n is an integer from 30 to 500, and Y is an ester unit or an ether unit; and   (D) 0.5 to 50% by weight, based on the total amount of components (A), (B), (C) and (D), of an aromatic halogen compound.   
     
     
       2. The composition of claim 1, wherein the bisphenol of the general formula [I] is 2,2-bis(4-hydroxyphenyl)propane. 
     
     
       3. The composition of claim 1, wherein the polyamide (B) is polycaprolactam. 
     
     
       4. The composition of claim 1, wherein the polyamide (B) is polyhexamethylene adipamide. 
     
     
       5. The composition of claim 1, wherein the polyalkylene phenylene ester or the polyalkylene phenylene ester ether (C) is polyethylene terephthalate. 
     
     
       6. The composition of claim 1, wherein the polyalkylene phenylene ester or the polyalkylene phenylene ester ether (C) is polytetramethylene terephthalate. 
     
     
       7. The composition of claim 1, wherein the polyalkylene phenylene ester or the polyalkylene phenylene ester ether (C) is a polyethylene-p-phenylene ester ether. 
     
     
       8. The composition of claim 1, wherein the aromatic halogen compound (D) is a compound of the formula [V]: ##STR16## wherein A and B, which may be the same or different, each represents a hydrogen atom, a bromine atom or a chlorine atom, and at least one of each of A and B is a bromine atom or a chlorine atom, R 12  is --O--, --S--, --SO 2  --, an alkylene group containing 1 to 5 carbon atoms or an alkylidene group containing 1 to 5 carbon atoms, each of which may be partially halogenated, and each of which may contain at least one ether linkage in the chain thereof. 
     
     
       9. The composition of claim 8, wherein the compound of the formula [V] is a halogenated diphenyl ether. 
     
     
       10. The composition of claim 9, wherein the halogenated diphenyl ether is decabromodiphenyl ether. 
     
     
       11. The composition of claim 1, wherein the aromatic halogen compound (D) is a compound of the general formula [VI]; ##STR17## wherein A represents a hydrogen atom, a bromine atom or a chlorine atom, at least one A is a bromine atom or a chlorine atom and wherein the A's may be the same or different. 
     
     
       12. The composition of claim 11, wherein the compound of the formula [VI] is hexabromobenzene. 
     
     
       13. The composition of claim 1, wherein the aromatic halogen compound (D) is a compound of the formula [VII]; ##STR18## wherein A represents a hydrogen atom, a bromine atom or a chlorine atom, at least one A is a bromine atom or a chlorine atom and the A's may be the same or different, and R 13  is an alkyl group having 1 to 5 carbon atoms or an alkenyl group having 1 to 5 carbon atoms, each of which may be partially halogenated, and each of which may contain at least one ether linkage in the chain thereof. 
     
     
       14. The composition of claim 13, wherein the compound of the formula [VII] is pentabromotoluene. 
     
     
       15. The composition of claim 13, wherein the compound of the formula [VII] is pentabromoethylbenzene. 
     
     
       16. The composition of claim 1, wherein the aromatic halogen compound (D) is a compound of the formula [VIII] ##STR19## wherein A and B, which may be the same or different, each represents a hydrogen atom, a bromine atom or a chlorine atom and at least one of each of A and B is a bromine atom or a chlorine atom. 
     
     
       17. The composition of claim 16, wherein the compound of the formula [VIII] is decabromodiphenyl. 
     
     
       18. The composition of claim 1, wherein the aromatic halogen compound (D) is a compound of the formula [IX] ##STR20## wherein A and B, which may be the same or different, each represents a hydrogen atom, a bromine atom or a chlorine atom and at least one of each of A and B is a bromine atom or a chlorine atom, R 14  represents --O--, --S--, --SO 2  --, --CO--, an alkylene group containing 1 to 5 carbon atoms or an alkylidene group containing 1 to 5 carbon atoms, and R 15  represents a hydrogen atom, an alkyl group containing 1 to 5 carbon atoms or a hydroxyalkyl group containing 1 to 5 carbon atoms, each of which may partially be halogenated, and each of which may contain at least one ether linkage in the chain thereof. 
     
     
       19. The composition of claim 18, wherein the compound of the formula [IX] is 2,2-bis(4-hydroxyethoxy-3,5-dibromophenyl)propane. 
     
     
       20. The composition of claim 1, wherein the proportion of the aromatic halogen compound (D) is 1 to 30% by weight. 
     
     
       21. The composition of claim 1, wherein said resin composition additionally contains (E) 5 to 50% by weight, based on the amount of the aromatic halogen compound (D), of a fire-retardant assistant.   
     
     
       22. The composition of claim 21, wherein the aromatic halogen compound (D) is a halogenated diphenyl ether and the fire-retardant assistant (E) is an antimony compound. 
     
     
       23. The composition of claim 22, wherein the total amount of the halogenated diphenyl ether and the antimony compound is 1 to 30% by weight based on the total amount of components (A), (B), (C), (D) and (E). 
     
     
       24. The composition of claim 22, wherein the halogenated diphenyl ether (D) is decabromodiphenyl ether. 
     
     
       25. The composition of claim 22, wherein the antimony compound (E) is antimony trioxide. 
     
     
       26. The composition of claim 21, wherein the fire retardant assistant (E) is an antimony compound. 
     
     
       27. The composition of claim 26, wherein the antimony compound is antimony trioxide.